Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday said the city’s countdown party has become one of the most popular New Year’s Eve activities in Taiwan, and expected this year’s lineup to attract more than 800,000 people.

“We put a lot of effort into improving the annual New Year Countdown Party every year to meet the public’s expectation. We believe that this year’s lineup will attract a record-breaking number of people,” he said.

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) will also attend the event and join the crowd to count down to the Year 2013, the Department of Information and Tourism said.

Taipei 101 spokesman Michael Liu (劉家豪) said the annual fireworks show at one of the world’s tallest buildings will feature 22,000 rounds of fireworks that will be launched over 188 seconds, along with specially tailored music — an adaptation of The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky — with the theme “Swing for the Future.”

Traffic control measures will be imposed in Xinyi District (信義) on Monday. Taipei Rapid Transportation Corp (TRTC) will provide 42-hour non-stop service on all MRT lines beginning on Sunday. Trains are set to run every 2.15 minutes at peak hours.

After the countdown party, Taipei City’s Department of Transportation will dispatch 160 shuttle buses to help passengers leave the Xinyi District from 12am to 2:30am on Tuesday. Passengers can take the buses at any bus stops in the area.

Main New Year’s Eve celebrations:

Taipei City

Time and location: The plaza in front of Taipei City Hall, 7pm to 1am.